Shea's Hippodrome

Shea's Hippodrome was a historic film and play theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Hippodrome was located in downtown Toronto, at the northwest corner of Queen and Bay streets (now Nathan Phillips Square). At its opening in 1914, it was the largest movie palace in Canada, and one of the largest vaudeville theatres in the world.[2] The Hippodrome included 12 opera boxes, a Wurlitzer organ, as well as a full-size orchestra pit. It debuted some of Canada's first non-silent films. It was built by brothers Jerry and Michael Shea and situated directly across from Toronto's (now former) City Hall. The Hippodrome was operated by Famous Players and managed for decades by Ken Bishop. It was demolished in 1957 to make way for Toronto's new City Hall.[3]

For the theatre in Buffalo, see Shea's Hippodrome Theatre.
Shea's Hippodrome
'The Hipp'
Shea's Hippodrome in 1921
LocationQueen and Bay streets
Toronto, Ontario
Coordinates43.65184°N 79.38241°W / 43.65184; -79.38241
OwnerJerry and Michael Shea
OperatorFamous Players
Capacity3,200[1]
Construction
OpenedApril 27, 1914
ClosedDecember 27, 1957
Construction cost$245,000
ArchitectL.H. Lempert

Venue

Prior to building Shea's Hippodrome, the Shea brothers first took over and operated the former Robinson's Musee Theatre (also known as the "Bijou") as "Shea's Yonge Street" (also known as the "Strand") in 1899. The brothers then built "Shea's Victoria" nearby.[2]

Shea's Hippodrome was constructed in the Renaissance style, with arched (and 'electrified') ceilings. The theatre featured an allegorical painting by George Brant, and uniquely included a coin-operated candy dispenser.[4] Historically, a hippodrome is a large, circular ancient Greek theatre. Though Shea's Hippodrome was not round, the word was sometimes adopted for large theatres at the time.[5]

Before installing a Wurlitzer organ in 1926,[5] Shea's included an Orchestron machine, a punch-tape programmed precursor to a modern synthesizer. House organists included Kathleen Stokes, Colin Corbett, Quentin Maclean and Al Bollington.[6]

Vaudeville

'The Hipp' was on the Family Time, and later the Super Time, vaudeville circuits. It hosted many of the world's greatest vaudeville acts, including:[3][6]

Talkies

In 1924, Shea's debuted its first 'talkie' – a non-silent film, called a 'phonofilm'. The first talkie was called The Studio Murder Mystery. Originally thought to be a novelty, talkies later became the main source of income for supporting the declining vaudeville revenue.[4]

Over the years, Shea's screened films such as The Ten Commandments and many of Elvis Presley's movies. In 1941, the Abbott and Costello film Buck Privates played for a record 14 weeks.[5]

Closing

Shea's Hippodrome was one of the last remaining vaudeville theatres in North America to remain open after World War II. The theatre closed just after Christmas in 1957. The last film to play at Shea's was Elvis Presley's Loving You. The Wurlitzer organ was sold to Maple Leaf Gardens (and later sold to Casa Loma).[5] Though closed, the building was not demolished for some time, and Toronto's replacement 'civic center' was not completed until 1965.[4]

Further reading
  • Palaces of the Night, Canada’s Grand Theatres, by John Lindsay.
  • The development and nature of vaudeville in Toronto: from 1899 to 1915, by Gerald Lenton.

References
  1. cinematreasures
  2. urbantoronto.ca
  3. lostToronto
  4. Filey, Mike (September 1992). Toronto Sketches: The Way We Were, Volume 1. ISBN 9781550021769.
  5. Memories of Toronto’s Shea’s Hippodrome Theatre
  6. theatreorgans.com
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